Child of the Trickster: A Different Point of View
by James Vivian
Summary: When a young Harry Potter meets and befriends a strange girl, fate is bent onto a new path. What awaits Harry Potter at Hogwarts, and who is this girl really?
1. Chapter 1

Hello People! First of all, I would just like to say that this is my first ever fic that I've actually bothered to upload, so I'd love reviews telling me how to improve. The ideas behind it may sound cliche but I'm hoping I do things differently enough that it'll still be interesting to read.

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Child of the Trickster: A Different Point of View

Ch. 1

Harry Potter lived in a cupboard under the stairs. He didn't like this, but things had been this way so long he'd slipped into apathy some time ago. Besides, complaining made Uncle Vernon angry, and that was something to be avoided. Another fact of Harry's life was that he worked in the yard almost every day, watering, weeding, fertilising, pruning, mowing and still more. By the time he was done, his hands often stung, he was exhausted and he still had many chores yet to do. This was how his days went, he would do the housework, acting as a butler, maid and gardener whenever he wasn't at school. School unfortunately was no relief for Harry, with his whale of a cousin Dudley forcefully driving away anyone who might want to strike up an acquaintanceship with dear Harry, whilst Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would punish him if he ever scored higher marks than their 'Dudders'. Given the intelligence of Dudley Dursley, this meant aiming very low.

Whilst working in the yard one day in his seventh year of life, something odd happened to Harry. A girl emerged from beneath the hedge. Needless to say, anyone might find such an event odd, however in the case of Harry Potter, the fact that someone would then approach him, and willingly engage in a conversation went against many of the things the Dursleys had tried to drill into him.

"Hi" said the girl. Harry stared. She smiled. "New to this whole conversation thing?"

"Uh, I, Yeah, my name's Harry" Harry stumbled out. There was something strange about this girl.

"Really? Neat. I'm Mi" the girl replied, casually settling down onto the porch bench.

"You're you?" Harry was confused. The girl started laughing.

"No silly, I'm Mi. I think I met a Yu once though"

"...what? But I've never seen you before" Harry was seriously beginning to question the girls' sanity. And she was laughing harder.

"Okay! Sorry! That was just...too funny!" The girl managed after her giggle fit had passed. "My name is Mi. As in M-I. A lot of people make that mistake or try and crack a joke, so now I like to have a bit of fun with them".

Harry paused. In a way, this made sense. It seemed to be the only thing about the girl that did. Previously, he'd been too distracted by first the fact that a person was in the garden and then that extremely confusing conversation but now, actually looking at her, her appearance made no sense. Her dark red hair was long and messy, yet also looked relatively well cared for. The white business shirt she was wearing looked both very expensive and several sizes too large. It also had dirt and grass stains all over it. Brown pants, also too big, held up by suspenders. The only thing she wore that fit her was her boots. Mustard yellow boots with ridiculously large brown socks.

"Hey, you done staring?" Asked Mi. Harry looked away quickly. "Anyways, I was wanting to know why exactly you're doing all this work. I mean, you're practically rebuilding the entire garden. I'm not one for the big folk, useless lot that they are, but shouldn't they be doing some of this?" The strange girl asked. So Harry explained about Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, and how a freak like him needed to earn his keep. The smile had vanished off Mi's face when he was done, replaced by a mixture of anger and curiosity.

"Why would they think that you're a freak? You don't seem freakish to me, and believe me, I've known some real freaks" Mi mused. For some reason, Harry wasn't comforted.

"You know what, I think I might just stick around here for a while, I still have some things I want to do anyway. Want some help with the garden?"s


	2. Chapter 2

I'm not going to lie, I'm really not happy with the first few chapters, but I feel that they have their highs and their lows. This is arguably the single worst, but I just couldn't think of anything else to write. So trust me, it should get better. Hopefully.

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Ch. 2

Over several weeks, Harry got to know the strange girl who called herself Mi. He found himself looking forward to the gardening, when she would appear from the hedge to talk about their lives and help him with his chores. Occasionally the two would meet in other places in Harry's rare free time. Until, as all things are wont to do, everything changed.

One seemingly unremarkable afternoon, Harry was finally free to wander the neighbourhood. This day was similar to many others, perhaps a bit more stressful than most, but the strange girl was truly what mattered most in what was to come. Harry had long ago accepted his lot, he had no plans for the future and very few things he truly cared about. Then suddenly Mi walked into his life and told him a little of her story. A girl who lived on the streets and in the forests, seeming to have done well for herself that way. For the first time in years, the protective shell of apathy cracked ever so slightly. And that would change everything.

Stressed slightly more than usual, Harry Potter ran from his prison of 4 Privet drive. Despite his own desires on the matter, the way Mi spoke of her life brought uncomfortable feelings up in Harry. Feelings that he believed himself better without. This annoyed him, coiling the ball of tension inside of him tighter, yet the thought of asking the girl to stop never crossed his mind. As he fled, his feet found their way to the local park, where Dudley and his gang often hung out. Unfortunately, today was no exception. So it was that the great whale spied its' prey as a certain strange girl was hiding nearby, carefully watching, ready to step in if necessary.

"Hey freak! You shouldn't have come here! Now you're gonna pay! And not with money either!" Yelled out Dudley Dursley, cracking his knuckles in a pitiful attempt to look intimidating.

"You tell him big D!" Simpered the eternal henchman Piers Polkiss. The other background henchmen yelled out various encouragements.

At this point, Harry would have normally turned and fled, easily outrunning his fat cousin and out of shape lackeys, but on this particular day, things went differently. Anger can make people do strange things. Despite the unseen girls' muttered pleading commands, Harry simply stood there, eyes glazed as the anger and stress rose within him, rooting him to the spot and distancing him from his body. Of course, Dudley and his gang never believed in fair play, took the moment to close in on Harry, grab his arms, haul him above the ground and begin beating him. It was this moment that the world changed. Mi stepped out of the shadows, ready and willing to reduce the fat Dursley to a red paste if necessary. At the same time, Harry's warring emotions hit critical mass, and exploded outwards in a tremendous surge of magical energy. For you see, Harry Potter was a wizard, and simply did not know it yet

"Shite"


	3. Chapter 3

This Chapter is the start of things getting different. A series of books I read years ago switched between initially the two main characters, with one being written in first person and the other in third. I like the idea so I'm borrowing it here. Mi will have chapters from her point of view written in first person, whereas Harry will be written in third. Mi is highly opinionated, judgemental, somewhat arrogant, quick to anger and slow to forgive, making her narration somewhat inconsistent and occasionally unreliable. She's also a lot of fun to write.

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Ch. 3

I admit, when I stepped out of the shadows, I did not expect to see the arcane equivalent of a lightning strike come out of the kid I'd been making friends with. So, looking over the chaos, I had six juvenile delinquents and one wizard, all unconscious. Meh. The bastards got off lightly. If it'd been me, I'd have been competing to see how many bones I could break in how little time, before feeding them their teeth. What can I say, I'm a little protective of the people around me. I've also been told I have some issues with aggression. I'd say that's bullshit but the person who told me is one of the few that actually knows what they're talking about, which in that case I really don't, as such. Anyway, Delinquents can lie there and get frostbite for all I care, Harry however is coming with me. Right? Good.

As I picked Harry up, I noticed several things. The first was the remnants of a binding spell. That explained why I couldn't sense his magic properly before. Somehow he was pissed enough to break a high-powered binding spell through emotions alone. He must have had one hell of a bad day. The second were several other spells layered on him, one of which was a secondary binding diverting his power into maintaining the other spells placed upon him. Needless to say I dismantled and removed it. The rest I didn't recognise and thus couldn't do much about. Hey, I'm good, but I was only eight freaking years old at the time. I'd like to see you identify and dismantle a redirective binding spell at eight years of age with no real formal training.

Carrying him was awkward. Not because he was heavy or anything, a side effect of being me is that weight is generally much less of a problem, but simply because of the fact that he was almost as big as I was, his limbs were all gangly and awkward to move. Also, he twitched. A lot. But, persevering in the face of adversity and all that, I managed to get him to my home base. No, it was not a hole underneath a bush. How dare you imply such a thing. It was a carefully camouflaged lair, hidden with the most devious methods. Shut up. Once we were there, I laid him down on my sleeping bag and began to think. Up to that point, I'd mostly been reacting and helping the kid I was starting to consider a friend. Friends, that's a scary notion. Now, with the disaster of Harry being found in a smoking crater surrounded by unconscious delinquents dealt with and with us both safe in my sanctuary, I began to think and come to several conclusions. I didn't like any of them.

First of all, with that binding, Harry would have had no idea that he was a wizard unless someone else told him, and even then they'd likely be dismissed as mad without proof. However, Harry's aunt and uncle, who I have grown to loathe in such a short time, they were obsessed with normality, reacted violently at any mention of the supernatural and called Harry a freak. Also, there were the blood wards around the house. They knew but Harry didn't. Interesting. Disgusting, amoral, cruel and loathsome in every way, but interesting nonetheless. So when he woke up, he would likely be rather upset. To ease that, I quickly wove a calming spell around him. It wouldn't stop him from getting upset, I hate spells that truly mess with your head, but it would make him calmer and less prone to panic. Hopefully I'd be able to explain things to him before he went mental this way.

I felt like I had glanced upon the edges of a much bigger puzzle. Harry had all those spells on him, most of which I currently didn't recognise, yet didn't seem to know a thing about magic, his abusive aunt and uncle were clued into the masquerade ('the masquerade' sounds much cooler than 'the secret'. I mean really, who comes up with these names, captain obvious?) and living in a house hidden behind blood wards powerful enough and sketchy enough that it attracted the attention of the only clan of my kind in the UK. This was bigger than me. Much bigger. Unfortunately for all involved, particularly Vernon and Petunia, if there's one thing I could never do, it was let go of a puzzle. A pained groan alerted me that the wizard in the room was waking up and would soon require answers. I needed to do this carefully. Shite.


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter felt really clunky, but it helps establish a few key facts and set the stage for the actual story. Reviews and Constructive Criticism are welcome.

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Ch. 4

As Harry woke, the world slowly came back into focus and with it, the memories of just what took place.

'But that's impossible' thought Harry.

"Hey Harry. Good to have you back with us" said a familiar voice. Harry looked towards the source and tried to focus on it. Mi. It was Mi.

"Where am I?" Asked Harry, feeling strangely calm.

"You're in my home. After your magical accident I brought you here. I thought you might have questions." The girl said with a nervous smile. Harry was sure he should be panicking right about now.

"Magic isn't real" Harry said immediately. Instead of saying anything, Mi held out her hand, which proceeded to burst into flames. Harry watched transfixed as the flames began to flow like water, dripping off her hand and onto the dirt floor.

"Believe yet?" She asked with a mischievous grin. Harry's head was spinning. Suddenly, His chest began to seize up and his vision began to darken. Gasping for breath as panic flooded his body, he vaguely realised he was on the floor. A single thought ran through his head; magic is real. Without warning, a cool sensation began to flow through his body, the tightness relaxed and his vision cleared. He looked up and saw a worried looking Mi with her glowing hand on his chest.

"What's happening?" Harry mumbled.

"I'm using a spell to calm you down. When I told you magic was real, I expected a lot of different reactions. I didn't expect you to have a panic attack and almost stop breathing on me" Mi replied, her face painted with worry. "I guess I'll leave off on the rest of the stuff for now. Relax for a bit. I don't want you dying on me".

This was of course exactly the wrong thing to say. Although a great deal of Harry's natural curiosity had been curbed by the Dursleys treatment, a significant amount still remained and the calming spell on him was bringing it to the forefront.

"What other things? Please tell me, I really want to know, Mi!" Harry declared. Mi gave him a worried look.

"If I do, you need to stay calm, not panic and hear me out to the end. Promise?" Mi asked.

"I promise" Harry said, purpose in his voice. The spell may have been affecting him more than intended.

"First of all, I found two binding spell on you. You broke the one sealing your magic away with your accident earlier, so now you should be able to actually perform deliberate magic much easier. The other was redirecting your internal magic to sustain some strange spells on you, and I broke that. I don't recognise the spells, but some of them looked like tracking and monitoring spells, the rest I have no idea. Sorry, but until I figure out what they are I can't do anything about them. Regardless, your magic is now yours and only yours, so that'll be a major power boost" Mi paused, checking to see that Harry was absorbing what was being said. She continued "I couldn't tell you this before, it's one of the rules of being magical, no telling non-magicals about magic or otherwise breaking the masquerade, but the original reason I was in the area is that the house you live in specifically is under incredibly powerful blood wards."

Mi stopped again, this time looking conflicted. Her face solidified, commitment etched across it. "I'm going to trust you here. I'm not exactly human. Don't go spreading that around, non-humans don't get treated well in the magical world. I can pass for human as long as no one does any special testing. I was, however, born to human parents, don't ask me how that works, I actually have no clue. Before you ask, everything I told you about my life is true. Also, my kind live in a clan and they're not fond of outsiders, ie. me. However, they live in forests, so when they need something in urban areas checked out, they ask me, and the wards on Privet drive are not only illegal, they're downright dangerous". Mi stopped. Harry looked conflicted. "Harry?"

"So, you came to investigate the house?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. But I think I'll be staying. It's not often I make friends" replied Mi. A slight smile crossed Harry's face.

"Okay, please go on" Harry urged. Mi sighed

"Well, I've been keeping an eye on the house and I've gathered that your aunt and uncle are not only aware of magic, but also have an acute hatred of it. I don't think your cousin knows, mind you your cousin is an idiot, so he may very well have had it explained to him and not understood it because it didn't come with pictures, snacks and explosions". That got a laugh out of Harry. "There's a lot I don't know, blood wards like that don't come out of nowhere, who exactly put all of those spells on you and what most of them do are still unknown". Harry was back to frowning. "I don't know how compatible our forms of magic are exactly, but if you wanted, I know I could teach you a few things".

And so, Harry Potter discovered the world of magic several years early, made an enduring friendship with a child of the trickster god and began on a path towards a new fate.


	5. Chapter 5

With large patches of time skipped, we're getting to relevant and interesting stuff now. Another Mi Chapter and the birth of an official running joke that I didn't notice until now. If anything within the timeskip ever becomes relevant, I'll work in a flashback or something. Yay for literary convenience!

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Ch. 5

I really don't know what I was thinking that afternoon. I've never trusted anyone with the knowledge of what I am, then suddenly I get all heart to heart with Harry and it all comes spilling out. I'd only known him for a few weeks at that stage, I had no real reason to trust him. The fact that after nearly three years he has proven himself to be the most loyal, reliable and downright honourable friend a person could ever ask for still bugs me. I'm never that lucky. Still, I kept my word. I taught him my kind of magic, which he did surprisingly well at, basic potions, which he could very well be a prodigy at, as well as mindscaping and channeling, both of which he is thoroughly average at. Still, the amount of practice he puts in, his mindscape is surprisingly good. He still can't channel externally for shite though, which if I'm honest, I'm kind of grateful for. I'm not sure my ego could take being bested like that.

Practicing magic unfortunately made his life harder, particularly when Vernon and Petunia found out. Of course, in my case, that was a mixed blessing. They went into a rage, but yelled about someone I initially believed to be named Dumbledoor, who was apparently responsible for Harry being put with them. When I took that to the clan, I was given a sudden insight into the magical world of which I had previously been fed nothing more than need-to-know snippets. Albus Dumbledore was a major political player, leader of the light, headmaster of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and all that hooha. After the clan had discussed things, I was then given an option. Infiltrate human society, particularly Hogwarts. They agreed with my assessment that the blood wards were a piece of a much larger puzzle, they believed it likely threatened the whole clan and the answers likely lay with Albus Dumbledore. Upon my success, should I succeed, I would be made a full clan member, granted full clan rights, and if I ever chose to leave the clan, my children would be considered clan members from birth. This was unprecedented. How could I possibly refuse?

After accepting, rather than simply send me on my way, sink-or-swim style, they tutored me. I loved every second of it. Old magic, new magic, potions, how magic worked, enchantments, runes, blood magic, and my eternal passion; alchemy. By the time I was done, I probably had a third or fourth year education for most subjects covered at Hogwarts, and almost nothing I learnt would be applicable due to the methodology divide. I managed to teach Harry a fair bit, but he understood that almost nothing I taught him would work with a wand. Damn wizards and their sticks.

Soon enough, I was presented with forged papers. I was to be Misaki Firestone. Not bad, but I will admit, having a last name was going to take some getting used to. My parents abandoned me when I was maybe four years old, I did everything I could to sever ties with those memories. Before you ask, no I don't remember my previous last name, I don't remember my original first name either. I was abandoned and left to die on a street far from home. I abandoned all traces of the scared child I was and became someone new. Some might call my name uncreative, I say that they just don't understand what it means. A little work from the clan, some creative accounting here, a little blackmail there, and suddenly I have a genuine Hogwarts invite.

Harry's meeting with Hagrid was rather interesting. I had studied wizarding culture, and had passed it onto him, so I had warned him of what to expect of course, and informed him of how to act in certain situations, such as around the goblins of Gringotts (I'm not human. It's a mark of respect to learn other non-humans' customs and treat them how they wish to be treated). Nonetheless, being told and actually seeing it are two different things. I was waiting for him, watching him on the street and seeing his amazement. It reminded me of the first time I conjured flame, or when I saw the clans' encampment for the first time. I had already bought most of my supplies. Instead of an owl, I would be using one of the clans' ravens. My kind tend not to trust owls, what with the whole owls being all-seeing. It really doesn't mesh well with the whole children of the Trickster god thing. Harry of course, got a great big goddamn snowy owl that seemed to radiate magic. Despite my being concealed in shadows (magic, don't ask), the damn thing looked straight at me, and I could feel it's eyes boring into me. This was not a creature to be angered. Creepy bloody thing.

Announcing myself to Harry, we went together to get ice cream from 'Florean Fortescues' ice cream parlour'. This was a new experience on several levels for the both of us. Neither of us had ever been to an ice cream parlour before (I'd stolen food from a lot of places, but there's absolutely nothing worth stealing in the bins of an ice cream parlour) and I certainly wasn't aware that there were that many flavours of ice cream. Judging by Harry's face, neither was he. After ordering two huge sundaes, with as many flavours and toppings as possible, we proceeded to eat ourselves into sugar comas. Unfortunately, that was where the pleasantness of my day stopped.

I still needed to get a uniform, and so headed to Madam Malkins. it was there that I discovered my worst nightmare. They expected me to wear a goddamned dress. I've managed to fix and wear the same shirt for years and to get spares of it. Let's get one thing straight. I do not wear dresses. I do not wear skirts. For years, I have worn a shirt, pants and recently I have added a loose tie for style (shut up it looks cool and nothing you say will convince me otherwise). Now suddenly, I am expected to wear a motherfucking dress?! Hmm, I'll say one thing, that time I spent down dockside certainly expanded my vocabulary if nothing else. Also, swearing is surprisingly cathartic.

Needless to say, this did not go well. I ended up caving and wearing a coverall robe, with my shirt and tie underneath as a sign of rebellion. Goddamn girly wizards. It was around this moment that I realised just how desperate the clan must have been to send ME, someone about as subtle as a sledgehammer, on a long-term infiltration mission. That really brought my day crashing down. Shite.


	6. Chapter 6

The story is now up to first year and beginning in earnest. Mi's judgemental side really starts to show here, as do some of the changes her presence in Harry's life have caused in him. From this chapter forward, pacing should hopefully be a little better.

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Ch. 6

September first rolled in, and with it, the day to leave for Hogwarts. Which would be great, if either of us actually knew how to get there. Platform nine and three quarters. Really. How the hell are we supposed to find that? The past week would have been hell for Harry, had I not stepped in. Vernon tried to get physical with Harry and suddenly he found his television exploding and lounge furniture come to life. There are very few top tier spells I can do, one of which is _Animus_. _Animus_ on its own simply imbues an object with life, and sets it loose. Adding additional commands afterwards increases the energy required and the strain on the caster, but gives the object direction and form. _Animus_ I can't do silently, but then, I've always aimed more for flexibility than silent casting with that. Vernon tried a few other things and found that everything went much better if he left well enough alone. Harry was thankful.

Wandering Kings Cross, I almost immediately realised the platform was full of witches and wizards. Unfortunately, there was a poorly constructed portal nearby that had increased the background magic to the point that I couldn't tell where it was. If I'd had a few hours to adjust I'd have been fine, but with less than half an hour till the train left, that unfortunately wasn't an option.

"Well Harry, there is definitely a portal here somewhere" I chirped out. Being around him makes me so chipper, it almost annoys me. I just don't understand it.

"Where?" Harry asked, getting quickly to the heart of the matter. Bugger. He had gotten so hard to distract over the last year. He's getting wise to me.

"I can't quite tell" I admitted. He gave me a Look. No eleven-year-old male should be able to do that. Spending time around Harry is really bad for my ego, have I mentioned that yet?

It was at this point that some large red-haired woman and a swarm of equally ginger offspring walked across the platform nattering about muggles and 'the platform'. Hmph. I pull off red a lot better than she or any of her spawn. No I'm not defensive, shut up if you value your teeth. Unfortunately, Harry decided that asking the carrot-headed woman where the platform might be was a good idea, and 'her hair offends me' didn't quite seem like a good enough argument against it. Goddammit. As it turns out, she knew the way, had several children currently in Hogwarts, one starting this year and one who starts next. Getting to the platform, I will freely admit to being impressed by the old steam engine. I got into a museum once and saw all these old planes, trains and cars on display. Beautiful, although not as impressive as the dinosaurs. Seeing an actual functional steam engine was really something else though. All it needed was to drive through a field full of dinosaurs and my life would be complete.

While I was deep in my musings, Harry had begun loading things onto the train. Coming out of my reverie, I immediately set to helping him. Together we dragged our stuff down the train and into an empty carriage. Nerves were beginning to surface in me. What if the deception behind my enrolment was discovered? What if I failed miserably at wand magic? What if-

It was at that moment that the youngest ginger barged into our carriage and sat down. He then looked around, as if finally noticing our presence.

"Is this seat free?" He asked. Oh god. Stop the train, I want off. No, better, speed up and close the blinds. I'll throw this idiot out the window and no one will be the wiser for it. The thought of it brings a smile to my face. This worries me somewhat. I get the feeling I'm being a little judgemental. Still, I pull off red a lot better than he does.

"No, it's taken by an invisible man. You're sitting on his lap right now" I snarked at him. Why exactly does he irritate me? I mean, aside from his hair, which he doesn't do nearly as well as me. I'm sure it'll come to me.

"What?" Ah. There it is. He's an idiot. I make one slightly witty comment and now look at him. If his mouth opens much further it'll hit the floor.

"Close your mouth, you'll catch flies" And the trap snaps shut. I'm really not a people person. Maybe now he'll go away.

"My friend's just joking. She does that. It's her way of being friendly". Oh no. Oh Harry please no. "I'm Harry. It's nice to meet you". Goddammit Harry. Why do you have to be so...you. Now I have to be civil to someone that's heisting a pale imitation of my hair colour. For some reason this annoys me greatly.

"Oh my god! You're Harry Potter!" Blurts out the mouth in orange. Harry suddenly gets a look in his eye. Oh yes. Go for it Harry, give him both barrels.

"Well, I'm A Harry Potter, not sure if I'm the one you're thinking of. I mean, there's lots of us around nowadays". Ginger looks confused. Not bad Harry, you can do better.

"The Harry that killed he-who-must-not-be-named! The boy-who-lived! The Harry with the scar!" Blurts the mouth. Golden opportunity Potter, do NOT let this slip by.

"You mean this scar?" Goddammit Harry. You are too nice for your own good.

"Yeah..." Ginger says, quietly awed. Ok, I may be feeling slightly conflicted about this. Goddamn conscience, picks the worst times to show up.

The two of them started chatting about Hogwarts. I listened, interjecting every now and then, but Ron was simply not my kind of person. Suddenly, the doors slide open and in walked a girl with a rather bookish disposition and brown hair. I decided to reserve judgement for later

"Have any of you seen a toad?" She asked. The question caught me offguard and I started laughing. No, I did not giggle, I'm far too awesome for that.

"That…was unexpected." I declared through my laughter. This may or may not be a recurring problem I have. She's glaring at me. "Excuse me, what's your name?" I asked the glaring girl. The glare lessens. Slightly.

"Hermione Granger. And you are?" She prompted. Wow. Someone actually wanted to know my name.

"Misaki Firestone, I prefer Mi. Sorry for laughing but you have to admit, marching up to strangers and asking them if they've seen a toad is kind of funny" I replied. A tentative smile crossed her face. It appeared I may have been forgiven.

"Well, I suppose so, but Neville Longbottom has lost his toad and I said I'd help him find it" she elaborates. The immediate thing that strikes me is that she has surprisingly good enunciation. Damn, am I getting friendly with someone already? Disturbing. This requires further observation. Still...

"I think I can help you with that toad. Give me a second" I say as I begin to concentrate, my magic flowing outward. I send a web of unseen tendrils of energy through the train, searching for amphibians fitting the general size of your average toad. It takes a matter of seconds, mainly because the train is relatively small and channelling is one of my strongest points. Harry is absolutely shite at it fortunately, so I at least have that to prop up my continually crumbling ego. Stimulating the air around it, I lift the toad up and pull it towards me, opening carriage doors as I go. Finally, I land the toad in my hand with a gentle plop and a croak. I open my eyes to see Hermione staring at me.

"What did you just do?" She asked. I may not have thought this through. Bugger.

"Magic" I reply. It really wasn't what she was looking for.

"I've never heard of a spell like that!" She practically accused.

"It's not a spell exactly. It's a field of study called channelling. It's studied in most countries, just not Britain, I have no idea why. It teaches a person how to get in touch with, control and manipulate their magical core. This enables more efficient spell casting, builds magical stamina and increases core size with continuous practice. With enough training, you can even extend your magic outside your body to alter the local magical field as well. That's what I was doing. It's one of the safest forms of magic too". Hmm, now she looks surprisingly hungry. She had more questions, but she held them in. Hermione walked off with the toad, looking dissatisfied and somehow, I couldn't shake the feeling something important just took place. Goddammit. Is this going to come back to bite me? I'm nervous now.

Several minutes later, she arrived back. I could see in her eye she wanted to talk.

"Back for more?" I ask. She nods, curiosity burning in her eyes. "So, tell me Hermione, do you play any card games?" This confuses her as I draw a pack of cards. "I figure we may as well have a game while we chat. You up for it?" And I'm shortly learning the basics of go fish. Soon enough, Harry joins in, and Ginger quickly follows. I may have been losing, but I honestly don't think I ever had as much fun up to that point in my life as I did then. Serious discussion soon fell by the wayside, mindless replacing it. Is that what it felt like to be normal? I liked the visit, but I honest didn't think I could stand being that way all the time. I'd probably go mad from boredom.

As our luck would have it, the peace couldn't last. The door slammed open and in strides the single most self-important, pompous blonde git I had ever had the displeasure to meet. He also proved himself to be an idiot upon opening his mouth, far worse than Ginger.

"Well? Is he here?" Demanded the git in a voice that implied he thought us all beneath him.

"Is who here?" I ask, almost certain of the answer.

"Harry Potter! I heard he was in this car!" Two sentences and already I don't like him. He's good at making enemies, I'll give him that.

"Nope. Sorry, you must've heard wrong. He's Ron, I'm John (really Harry? John?), that's Hermione and Mi" chirped Harry. The blonde idiot looked like he swallowed something sour.

"Those don't sound like proper wizarding names. Are you the right sort?" he hissed suspiciously. Harry and Hermione looked confused, although in Harrys' case it was an act. I had studied wizarding culture beforehand, and passed my notes on to Harry. Time to see just how stupid this Git was is.

"I'm sorry, what do you mean by that?" I ask sweetly. Harry had realised there was a lot more to me than I show ages ago. He of course has the advantage of knowing me for years. This blonde idiot couldn't spot an oncoming train in a railway tunnel.

"You know, mudbloods, half-bloods, blood traitors, you're not one of them are you?" Asked the blonde streak of ferret. Ginger looked furious, everyone else looked confused. It was really quite entertaining.

"What do you mean by mudbloods? I've never heard that before?" I have, but he doesn't know that. Also, if he knew I wasn't human, I'd be called a lot worse.

"Wizards with muggles for parents! Disgusting really. They have no place in our proper society!" He ranted with his head held high, proud of his bigotry. At this stage Harry was looking pissed, Hermione was close to tears and Ron looked like he wanted to strangle the git. Leave it to me, Weasley, I have claws.

I focused my gaze on him, projecting an unsettling aura towards my target. Very few people realise how unsettling looking me in the eyes can be, especially when I'm pissed off. "Well, sorry about this, but Hermione is muggleborn, John and I are half-bloods and Ron is the only pure blood in this carriage worth a damn". The Gits' pale skin had turned red. Gem, set and match. "Now, kindly take your bigoted diatribe and get the hell out of our carriage".

At this, he drew his wand. Big mistake. I believe I stated earlier that, as a result of my species, I'm exceptionally strong. I also happen to be faster than the average human and my reaction time is amazing. I had his arm twisted behind his back before he realised what was happening, his wrist breaking with a rather loud cracking sound. Maybe I overdid it. His two goons prepared to go for me. One look and they reconsidered. I was getting a look of awe from Ron. Maybe he's not so bad after all. With a tap on the shoulder, I was informed than someone was behind me. She did not look pleased. The ferrets' cry of pain had attracted a prefect. This is going to take some explaining. Shite.


End file.
